Redditch Borough Council

Redditch Borough Council is the local authority for Redditch, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England.



History
The town of Redditch was made a local government district in 1858, governed by a local board. Such districts were renamed urban districts in 1894. The urban district in turn was abolished in 1974 and replaced by a non-metropolitan district covering the same area as the former urban district, but with different powers and responsibilities.

Redditch district was awarded borough status on 15 May 1980, changing the council's name to Redditch Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

Governance
Redditch Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council. Feckenham is a civil parish, which forms a third tier of local government for that part of the borough; the rest of the borough is an unparished area.

Since 2008 the council has developed shared working arrangements with neighbouring Bromsgrove District Council, with the two organisations sharing a chief executive, management team and other staff.

Political control
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2024.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Redditch. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2008 have been:

Composition
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:

Premises
The council is based at Redditch Town Hall on Walter Stranz Square. The foundation stone was laid in 1981. It cost £7.5 million to build and it was opened in 1982.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2024, the council has comprised 27 councillors representing 9 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council elected each time for a four-year term of office. Worcestershire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.